Alarm system for a loading dock
First Claim
1. A safety method for a building that includes a doorway and a loading dock adapted to receive a vehicle, the safety method comprising:
- sensing a material handling equipment within an interior of the vehicle parked adjacent a first side of the doorway;
sensing the presence of a body within an area adjacent a second side of the doorway, the second side being opposite the first side; and
generating an alarm signal in response to sensing a combination of both the material handling equipment within the interior of the vehicle and the presence of the body within the area.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A safety system for a truck loading dock with an elevated platform provides an alarm that warns of a hazard at the loading dock such as a forklift operating inside the truck or a falling hazard that may exist due to the dock door being open while a truck is not present at the dock. In cases where a dock'"'"'s open doorway is protected by a barrier that can be opened or closed, the alarm can be de-activated by closing the barrier. In some embodiments, the safety system includes a remote body sensor that detects when someone or something is near the doorway. In response to the body sensor, a second, more pronounced alarm can warn of more imminent danger where someone on the platform may be too close to an open doorway when a truck is not present.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A safety method for a building that includes a doorway and a loading dock adapted to receive a vehicle, the safety method comprising:
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sensing a material handling equipment within an interior of the vehicle parked adjacent a first side of the doorway; sensing the presence of a body within an area adjacent a second side of the doorway, the second side being opposite the first side; and generating an alarm signal in response to sensing a combination of both the material handling equipment within the interior of the vehicle and the presence of the body within the area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A safety method for a building that includes a doorway providing a passage from an inside of the building to an outside of the building, and a loading dock adapted to cooperate with a vehicle, the safety method comprising:
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transmitting a sensing signal only into an interior of the vehicle disposed outside of the building adjacent the passage; using the sensing signal to determine whether a body is inside the vehicle; and providing an alarm signal in response to determining that the body is inside the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A safety system for a building that includes a doorway providing a passage from an inside of the building to an outside of the building, and a loading dock adapted to receive a vehicle, the safety system comprising:
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a remote body sensor disposed inside the building to project a sensing signal into the vehicle disposed outside of the building to detect whether a body is present inside of the vehicle; and an alarm system in communication with the remote body sensor such that the alarm system provides an alarm signal in response to the remote body sensor detecting the body inside the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification